Welcome to Wonderland
by rultas
Summary: Alice in Wonderland concept. Alfred Jones slips on a puddle and meets a short-tempered Caterpillar, a Yandere Queen, a demented Cheshire Cat and many other 'mad' people who he realizes have suddenly become his friends.8: One-sided Love, Two-sided Insanity
1. Slipped on a Puddle

**Hello there.**

**If you're reading this Author's Note, then you've obviously decided to read Welcome to Wonderland. Beforehand, I just want to tell you that I took the _concept _of someone falling and ending up in Wonderland. The events won't be very alike to Alice in Wonderland's events, and the characters will be added and removed and roles will be warped until you can barely compare them to the original Alice in Wonderland characters unless I make it obvious. Well, enough of that.**

**T for language.**

**Please enjoy chapter one. I'll have the second chapter up pretty soon to make up for the (potential) lameness. I hope.**

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* * *

**Welcome to Wonderland

Chapter One: Slipped on a Puddle

Alfred Jones grabbed his umbrella and walked out the front door of his apartment.

It was raining again.

He walked silently, hand in his pocket, the other holding up the black umbrella. The weather had been very dreary lately, and the American was used to cooler and sunnier days.

Alfred suddenly leaped to his right and dropped his umbrella as a boy on a bicycle nearly ran over him. He yelped and gave a frustrated yell.

The boy continued on, ignoring him.

Alfred sighed. He picked his umbrella up again and continued walking sullenly. The weather affected his mood greatly. He stepped over water puddles and avoided potential pools of deep water. He was wet enough.

"The rain's seriously been-"

His sentence was unfinished as his foot slipped on a water puddle.

It was as if everything was in slow motion. Alfred dropped his umbrella again and waved his arms in the air, failing to regain balance. He braced himself for the impact of his back against the concrete and then-

"It's surely taking me a while to fall," he thought.

Alfred opened his eyes and nearly screamed.

_Nearly._

The American flopped on the ground ungracefully and groaned. He sat up and rubbed his chin, other hand putting his glasses back in place.

"Wha- where the hell am I?"

Considering the fact that he was in an open space, his voice echoed.

The sky was filled with ominous clouds, but it wasn't raining. The surroundings were also dark and dreary. There were few trees - mostly dead - and the ground was filled with dead leaves and patches of brown grass. There was something in the distance. It stood still.

"This isn't funny."

Realizing that no one was listening, or could listen, for that matter, Alfred stomped his foot on the ground.

"Did I hit my head too hard or something?"

Silence answered.

Alfred sighed and ran towards the object in the distance. Well, at least he could try to act positively. There was nothing else to do, anyway.

He found that the thing was actually a door. There didn't seem to be anything on the other side, as he looked behind it.

"Eh. What the hell," Alfred grew tired of waiting for nothing. He gingerly opened the door.

Taking a look inside, with the top half of his body on the other side of the door, Alfred found nothing.

He gripped the doorknob. How useless. Why was the door even there when it led to nowhere?

"I wonder what'll happen if-"

There was an "Oof", and Alfred fell into the empty door. Instead of going through the other side, though, he fell into another place.

And the little door closed behind him.

* * *

Alfred found the other place even more depressing than the last one.

"God. Where am I?"

He let out a frustrated stomp, clearly knowing that it was childish. He didn't care.

The place was like a forest. It had a small winding pathway and plants on either side of it. The sky was cloudless, but a dark purple color.

Alfred trudged up the pathway. He heard someone up ahead.

Taking a peek proved to be true. There was a man standing with his back to Alfred on the middle of the pathway. He was laughing by himself. Alfred instantly thought he was crazy.

"Hey!" Alfred called out. He ran towards the man and felt hopeful.

"Finally, there's someone else in here!"

The man turned around. He was shorter than Alfred and had blond hair. He had beautiful emerald green eyes, but they didn't catch Alfred's attention first.

"Um..."

Was it considered rude to laugh at a stranger? Yes. But considering his huge caterpillar-like eyebrows... And also considering the fact that he was the only person that Alfred saw ever since he slipped on the puddle...

"Hello...sir." Alfred wasn't usually one for formalities.

Eyebrows spoke in a British accent.

"Yes? And who, dear sir, if I may ask, are you?"

Huge bushy caterpillar eyebrows. Emerald green eyes. British accent. Laughing at nothing. First person in an empty world.

Alfred pushed up his glasses and flashed a smile. His sapphire blue eyes glinted as he gave a thumbs-up sign.

"I'm Alfred F. Jones, the hero!"

* * *

**See? Alfred (Alice) actually slipped on a puddle and met Arthur (the Caterpillar - bet you didn't expect that, but I did put "caterpillar-like eyebrows") instead of the White Rabbit. But White Rabbit will come in the next chapter. Any guesses as to who he might be?**

**I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter of Welcome to Wonderland! I know it was a bit boring, but the second one will come soon.**

**Review, favorite and alert will make me very happy. Please feel free to review or do any of the previously mentioned.  
**


	2. Eyebrows, Blondes and Grins

**I was very happy to find out that some people like this. :D**

**Anyway, thank you all for your reviews and favorites and alerts. They make me feel like this is actually being read. Thank you.  
**

**Also, the guesses on who White Rabbit would be were amusing to read. Sadly, no one got it right. Liet would be a nice choice, though. XD**

**Onward to chapter two!  
**

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* * *

**Welcome to Wonderland

Chapter Two: Eyebrows, Blondes and Grins

_"I'm Alfred F. Jones, the hero!"_

Arthur mumbled something incoherent and nodded awkwardly. Alfred dropped his grin and there was a silence.

"But - everyone needs a hero, right?"

Arthur seemed even more confused - or taken aback, rather - by Alfred's behavior. Alfred racked his brains for a good statement.

He couldn't think of anything.

"Alfred Jones, then? Well, if I must introduce myself," Arthur finally broke the silence. He gave a gentlemanly bow. "My name is Arthur Kirkland."

Alfred grinned.

"Oooh, okay. So, Artie, if I can call you that, can I ask you a question?"

Arthur raised his brow in exasperation. Alfred just continued grinning. The Briton did not like being called "Artie".

"It's 'may I call you that', and of course you may ask a question! You don't need to tell me beforehand unless it is something I'd rather not answer,"

Alfred watched Arthur as he ranted. His eyebrows were emphasized and he made wild motions with his hands. He certainly got angered easily...

"Alright. Well, for starters, can you tell me where I am?"

Arthur gave the American another irritated look before answering.

"Well, Alfred, don't you know? How could you have gotten here if you didn't? Unless you're a true magician, which I highly doubt, you yourself should know how you got here."

Perfect. Artie didn't answer Alfred's question at all.

The two stared at each other for a while. Arthur sighed and spoke again. He seemed to have calmed down.

"This world has no official name. You may call it whatever you wish."

Alfred's lips parted and his mouth formed an O-shape. He paused and then pushed his glasses up. Head turned sideways, he frowned while squinting at the dirt road.

"So, I can, like, call it anything?"

"It has no official name. We call it whatever we wish,"

Alfred failed to catch the "we".

"So, I can even call this pathway Hamburger Street or something?" He grinned at the shorter man.

Arthur furrowed his big bushy brows.

"Yes, but I highly doubt that anyone would like to live on a street with that name." His British accent made Alfred feel like he was mocking him. And he was.

"Okay. Anyways, Arthur, can you help me get out of here? I'm lost."

Yes, Alfred. Finally, straight to the point.

Arthur heaved a long sight before snapping at the American.

"Well, why didn't you mention that before?" He shook his head and motioned to the rest of the road behind him. His temper was back.

"I suggest you take this path until you find yourself in a more 'favorable' place, Alfred." He said it, exasperated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"In that case, thanks, Artie!"

Alfred jumped into the air and grinned widely. He stepped sideways and overtook Arthur (the latter found it rude) but turned around. He gave the red-faced Briton a serious look.

"But, seriously, I'm grateful. For everything. Even if you barely helped me."

Alfred's eye caught something and he spun around to follow it. He failed to notice Arthur who was spluttering out nonsense. Yes. Another insult.

"Bye, Artie."

He gave a wave without looking back and ran faster, trying to follow the boy in a brown waistcoat and trousers. He left Arthur behind, who watched him leave.

* * *

Alfred panted, his hair flying. The other boy was pretty quick. He had long wavy blond hair and blue eyes like Alfred. He also had glasses. A small white polar bear sat atop his head.

"Come on, Kumajirou! We'll be late," the boy said in a panicked voice.

"Who?" the polar bear, Kumajirou, asked.

Alfred followed the blonde and his bear until they reached a small, deserted cottage. The blonde rounded a corner, and Alfred followed, skidding on some rocks.

"Hey! Wait up-"

"Yes?"

Alfred stopped. He turned and saw a person in a strange magician suit smiling at him, amused.

He frowned. It felt like his meeting with Arthur all over again, except in a different setting and situation.

Alfred stared at the woman in her strange suit. Her long brown hair made her look young under the black top hat. She wore a ridiculous (it looked ridiculous to Alfred) black cape and a thin form fitting coat. A white buttoned up blouse peeked from underneath, and she had black pants and boots.

Alfred blinked.

"Who are you?"

She laughed. Was she mocking him?

"Depends," she answered "Who are you looking for?"

Alfred frowned. She was not helping. At all.

"Well, I'd like to know your name, you know?"

The woman clasped her black gloved hands together and gave another smile, head tilted slightly.

"I know that. Well, who do you think I am?"

And then she disappeared.

Alfred jumped. There was a flash of black, - it was her cape flying as she spun - an arm waving goodbye, and then nothing. She was gone. And she didn't even answer his question.

"Annoying woman," Alfred muttered. He took in a sharp breath and began to walk up the pathway.

There was a strange person in the way.

Alfred eyed the grinning man suspiciously. The guy was huge. And he was grinning at Alfred, hands behind his back, while standing in the middle of the road.

"Who're you?"

The man's violet eyes sparkled. Alfred saw a glint of brownish-red stained metal behind his back. Damn. Creepy. Very creepy.

"Must I tell you?"

Alfred hesitated before answering. "...Yes."

"Alright. But before that, have you seen Toris? You know him, da? The King of Hearts?"

Alfred bit his lip. Heroes shouldn't be afraid. So what if there was a huge creepy grinning guy standing in the middle of the road with something behind his back?

Pshaw.

"The King of Hearts?"

"Yes. The King of Hearts. You know him, da?"

"No, I don't."

The grinning young man's eyes darkened for a moment.

"You do not know him?"

"No." Alfred replied bluntly.

"Well, in that case, I am Ivan. Become one with me, da?"

Alfred backed away slowly. Ivan, the grinning one, was twirling the stained metal thing in his hands. It was a spigot. A freaking bloodstained spigot!

"Urm - um...well - NO."

And then Alfred ran. Ivan stepped aside and let the American go first before emitting a _"Kol kol kol"_ sound. He watched Alfred run.

Alfred, on the other hand, didn't look back. In fact, he kept on running madly and cringed as he heard Ivan's statement.

"All will become one with Mother Russia one day."

* * *

**Hi~**

**Just more notes here. **

**Recap. Alfred is Alice. He meets Arthur first, who is the Caterpillar. Then, he follows the White Rabbit (Matthew) and bumps into a strange woman in a weird magician suit. I will reveal her identity in the future chapters. After that, he meets Ivan (the Cheshire Cat) and runs away.**

**I'm pretty sure that this is longer than chapter one.**

**Okay. Thanks for all the nice reviews and alerts/favorites, guys! There are more characters coming up. (I've mixed in some of the characters from Through the Looking Glass, and not just from Alice in Wonderland) Some of them are the Queen of Hearts, the King of Hearts (which from this chapter you can tell is Toris/Lithuania), the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, The Red Knight (from TLG) and many more. Yes. I am rambling.**

**Have a nice day.  
**


	3. Recipes and More Blondes

**Hallo.**

**This is chapter three of Welcome to Wonderland! I'm still not sure of the exact day that I'll be updating. I'm not even sure if I'll be updating once a week or twice a week. Whatever.**

**Many thanks to _rechanxramenxlover_ for reviewing the last chapter! I send that user virtual hugs and rainbows (with EIGHT colors)  
**

**There are a lot of notes at the bottom for explanations. Please also read them.  
**

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* * *

**Welcome to Wonderland

Chapter Three: Recipes and More Blondes

Alfred huffed as he ran up the hilly pathway. Ivan was a long way behind, but he continued running.

He stopped jogging and rested for a bit. There was a house nearby, and under a tree planted beside Alfred was a girl sitting underneath. The girl had tanned skin, brown eyes and long brown hair held into pigtails by two red ribbons. She sat cross-legged and gave Alfred a warm smile.

"Hello."

Alfred stared at the girl for a while. She was actually quite pretty.

"Hey, there," he smiled at her charmingly.

The girl smiled even wider and stood up energetically. Her blue dress moved as she did.

"My name is Chelle and it's nice to meet you! I was getting bored out here, as I was all alone, but at least now I can talk to someone." The girl, Chelle, chirped. "What's your name?"

Alfred's face brightened up. Finally, a sane-looking person who didn't have mood swings!

"Oh, I'm Alfred Jones, your hero!" He gave his all too familiar thumbs up sign and signature grin.

Chelle clapped.

"Wow, a hero? That's nice! So, what brings you here, Alfred?"

"Hmmm...well," Alfred crinkled his nose and looked up at the sky. The ever dark sky was unusually blue. "I ended up here after running up the pathway,"

Chelle nodded understandingly. Alfred was about to say something when a crash and a few yells were heard from the house.

"That is, like, totally not cool! I told you to, like, just prepare the _Bigos_ ingredients! I'll cook it myself!"

"Ah~ But, the _Omelette aux Truffles_ is much better, _non?"_

Alfred stared at the door of the house. Another crash was heard, and then a sneeze.

"That black pepper is, like, for the _Bigos_!"

Chelle laughed nervously. Alfred's attention was diverted to her.

"Ah, that's just my _papa._ He's Feliks' cook. Feliks is the Duke. He's a good friend of the King of Hearts."

Alfred nodded. The King of Hearts. The man came up again.

"Umm... The guy named Toris?"

Chelle smiled.

"Yup! Toris Laurinaitis. He's really nice and shy, although I've only met him once or so. Feliks says they're best friends and talks about him a lot,"

Alfred nodded politely at the bubbly girl.

"You want to go inside and meet my _pap_a and Feliks?" Chelle suddenly asked.

"Uhm... sure."

Surely meeting them wouldn't hurt, right?

Of course not.

Alfred followed Chelle to the door. There was a silence until then, but another crash was suddenly heard.

"_Mon Dieu_!"

Alfred looked up at the house. What was going on in there? Surely cooking wasn't that destructive...

"They're really like that when they argue," Chelle giggled. "Especially over food. The Duke is Polish. Papa is French."

Alfred nodded. He waited for Chelle to unlock the door, but she didn't.

"Aren't we entering or something?"

Chelle looked at him curiously.

"Hm? No. I don't have keys. Now, if you wanted to go inside and I was inside, then I could open the door for you. Or if I was outside and you were inside, you wanting to go out, I could let you out. But seeing as we're both outside, and they can't hear us over the noise they're making, I can't open the door for you."

Alfred was confused at her logic.

"Yes, that's true, but I thought we were going to meet them inside!"

Chelle smiled innocently.

"We are."

The two stood in silence. Chelle smoothed out the wrinkles in her dress when the door opened.

"Papa!"

She smiled at the man who opened the door and gave him a big hug. The man returned the hug as well. He had long wavy blond hair, which reminded Alfred of the hair of the boy with the polar bear he followed a while ago. The man had blue eyes and wore a frilly apron over his white shirt.

"Hello, _ma cherie_~ And who is this handsome young man with you?"

Chelle gave an enthusiastic grin as she introduced Alfred.

"Oh, he's Alfred Jones, a friend of mine. I wanted to introduce him to Feliks,"

"Feliks? Ah, he is there in the kitchen. He does not understand the art of French cuisine," The man turned to Alfred and flipped his blond locks like a model. They sparkled.

"My name is Francis Bonnefoy, but you may call me Francis."

He leaned forward and held out a rose. Alfred stared at it.

"I hope we will get to know each other, _oui_?"

Alfred stepped inside the house, together with Chelle and her father. They passed through winding corridors until they arrived at the kitchen. It was like a warzone.

Alfred nearly tripped over a crate while the others crossed the kitchen with ease. There was a man cutting up root vegetables on a counter.

"Hello, Feliks," Chelle began. She sat on another crate and crossed her legs. "I've brought a friend."

Feliks, the man cutting up vegetables, looked up and smiled. He had light shoulder-length blond hair and green eyes.

"Oh, that's, like, nice. But your papa, like, doesn't understand that he has to, like, cook Bigos and not some French food."

Alfred raised a brow. He could tell that the Polish man wasn't exactly calm.

"Liet, like, should really try Bigos, and not some French omelette! It's totally more - like, OMG, the boar's almost overcooked!"

Feliks started to move quickly, trying to save the boar meat before it got overcooked. There was an uncomfortable silence. The only sound was of the kettle a few tables away.

Alfred coughed into his hand. Francis smiled.

"Oh, _excusez-moi, _I forgot about you. So, _ma cher_ has found a new friend? Where are you from?"

Alfred put his hands on his waist and grinned.

"Well, I'm just walking around. I'm not from around here, and first I met a strange British guy named Arthur Kirkland, then I saw a strange boy, then an even stranger woman and then a crazy Russian named Ivan. It's been pretty crazy." He gave a nervous laugh.

"_l'Anglais? _You've met him? The man with crazy eyebrows?"

Alfred laughed.

"Yeah, him!"

"Hmmm... The Eyebrows Bastard?" Chelle suddenly asked. Alfred turned to her.

"I suppose so."

Chelle's face twisted into anger.

"I hate him!"

Alfred was too afraid to interrupt the girl's rant.

"Okay! The stew's ready. It's delicious! Like, to the max!"

Feliks skipped towards them, carrying a very large bowl filled with the Bigos. He called out to a maid that suddenly appeared and handed her the bowl.

"Can you, like, carry the other bowls too? Thanks!"

More maids entered the kitchen, all bowing to the Duke before continuing. They carried more big bowls of the Bigos, and some carried plates of bread. They walked in synchrony.

Feliks handed the bowl in his hands to another before wiping his gloved hands on his apron.

"Okay, I'm, like, going to be heading to Liet's soon. Is anyone coming?"

Alfred watched Chelle shake her head and Francis approach his daughter silently.

"Alright. Toodles~"

Feliks marched out the kitchen, maids following behind him. He left his apron folded neatly on top of a crate.

"Liet?"

Francis gave Alfred another charming smile as he draped an arm over his daughter's shoulder.

Chelle answered.

"The King of Hearts is Toris Laurinaitis, remember? He's Lithuanian, and the Duke calls him Liet sometimes because they're best friends."

"Oh..."

Silence.

"Hmm...so...who else is around here?"

"Do you want _papa_ and I to accompany you to the castle of Hearts?" Chelle asked excitedly. Alfred was taken aback at her sudden burst of energy. Francis laughed.

"No - no thank you. I guess I'll just walk around for a bit. There are more people around, right?"

Francis gave a grin. He was awfully close him. Wait - wasn't he with Chelle awhile ago?

"Of course, _ma cher_. There are lots of people for you to meet. And if you get tired of them, then visit us again, _oui_?" Francis smiled at Alfred, his face _uncomfortably _close to his, arm draped around Alfred's shoulder.

"Urm - yeah. Thanks for the hospitality."

Alfred was accompanied out the door by Chelle and Francis. As soon as they waved goodbye, he did so too, and then promptly turned around and began to walk up the pathway again.

"_Au revoir_~"

"Goodbye, Alfred!"

Alfred walked down the pathway until he could no longer see them.

"Hmmm...well, where do I go now?"

He continued down the path until he saw the strange woman in a magician suit arguing with a tanned, green-eyed young man. The man was smiling, but he emanated a strange aura.

Sitting on a chair behind them was another young man. He was asleep.

"Hey," Alfred said, catching their attention. "What's going on?"

* * *

**YAY~**

**Okay. Feliks is the Duke (the Dutchess), and I don't think I got him in character. Anyway, his next appearance will be sometime soon, and I'll try to make him less OOC. Francis is the Cook. Chelle/Seychelles is the Frog-Footman.**

**I told you roles would be very reversed.**

**The next chapter would be Welcome to Wonderland's version of "A Mad Tea Party".**

**Yes.**

**Please review, favorite or alert! :)  
**

**FOOTNOTES AND TRANSLATIONS  
**

_Chelle: _Pronounced _Shelly. _It's Seychelles. I made her Francis' daughter._  
_

_Bigos (Hunter's Stew): _a traditional Polish stew

_Omelette aux Truffles _or_ Truffle Omelette: _an expensive and classic French recipe_  
_

_"That black pepper is, like, for the Bigos!": _A recipe for _Bigos_ that I read included some spices like black pepper. Also, because I wanted to retain the "Pig and Pepper" part of this chapter.

_Mon Dieu: _My god

_Ma cherie: _My darling

_excusez-moi: _Excuse me

_ma cher: _My dear

_l'Anglais: _The Englishman_  
_

_France-Poland relations: _the Poles and French have been allies in the interwar period, and they were allies in Napoleon's period. Relations have improved since the fall of communism (source: Wikipedia) Here, I made them argue a bit, but they're actually friends. Not very close, though._  
_


	4. Held Hostage Over Paella

**Thank you, _Sora Nadeshiko, _for reviewing last time! Some people added this to their favorites, so I'm glad that people still read this. **

**I listened to Prussia's Einsamkeit and Mein Gott while writing this. Because I kept on getting distracted. And because I should really get started on my project. Yeah. Maybe later. Or so.**

**Also, this will the be last update in a while. I'm going to be visiting my relative for a week or so, so I won't be able to post immediately. I also have some school-related things to attend to.  
**

**

* * *

**Welcome to Wonderland

Chapter Four: Held Hostage Over Paella

The woman stared at Alfred, brow raised. The other man, the one who had been arguing with her, stared at Alfred as well.

"So, um, hey?"

Alfred mentally cursed. He shouldn't have interrupted so suddenly.

"_Hola._" Said the man. So, he was Spanish. Or Latin American. One of those.

"Hello." The woman smiled at him. All traces of their previous argument were gone. Alfred found himself caught in between their gazes.

"I'm Alfred Jones," Alfred introduced himself, trying to remove the awkwardness. "And, I was wondering what you were arguing about." He finished lamely.

The Spaniard gave an air-headed smile and waved.

"Oh, forget about that! My name is Antonio Fernandez Carriedo. It's nice to meet you~"

Alfred returned the smile. Antonio had a cheery disposition.

"Hmmm...I've seen you before, remember?" Alfred turned to the woman. She had her arms crossed over her chest.

"Yes. We've met before. Briefly." Alfred could still remember their short conversation. She didn't even help him! Or introduce herself, for that matter.

"Well, I guess you should tell me your name, now." Alfred told her. She shrugged.

"My name is Amaia Etxaurren,"

Alfred kept his hands in his pockets.

"So... if I can ask, why were you guys arguing? And who's that guy?"

He pointed to the sleeping young man on a chair with his thumb.

"Ah. That is Heracles Karpusi. He's Greek. Loves cats. Loves to sleep." Amaia told him curtly, eyeing the Grecian. He was sleeping peacefully.

"Okay... So, about your argument, is there anything the hero can do to help?" Alfred asked. He was literally bouncing with excitement. Amaia frowned at him.

"No, no, Alfred. Please forget about our 'argument'." Antonio replied quickly. He did _not _want the American getting involved.

"Awww...come on. I'm the hero! Heroes help save those in need!" Alfred quickly flashed a thumbs-up sign and his familiar grin. Antonio was starting to glare at him.

"Please. Don't. Get. Involved."

Amaia stared at both of them. Alfred couldn't read the atmosphere, could he?

The American and the Spaniard stared at each other. The former was grinning nervously. The latter had his hands clenched into fists. They had stopped speaking.

Amaia decided it was time to interrupt them.

"I think we should change the topic."

Antonio stopped glaring and continued to smile as if nothing happened. Alfred's eye twitched.

"Uh...okay. Good idea."

* * *

"I hate him, you know? He's actually two-faced."

Alfred nodded. He and Amaia were seated on chairs beside the sleeping Heracles. Antonio was somewhere inside his house. For some reason, Alfred had decided to stay for a while. And no, it wasn't because Antonio told him to. Heroes weren't pushed around like that!

"Is he usually like that?"

Amaia sipped her tea. Antonio had given them some before retreating inside his home.

"No. Everyone thinks he's an airhead. A happy-go-lucky and carefree airhead. But I know he's not one. He can be scary if he wants to."

She looked at Alfred in the eye.

"And I'm pretty sure that he hates me."

Alfred set his teacup on the empty chair beside him. He never enjoyed tea.

"Well, you hate him, don't you?"

Amaia grimaced as she finished her cup.

"Yeah. Sort of."

* * *

Antonio returned outside with a big plate of paella. He set it on a table that Alfred never noticed.

"I'm sure you would enjoy it. Paella is delicious."

Alfred stared at the paella, fork in his right hand. He contemplated on it for a while before digging in.

"Ah, it's good!" He meant to say. But with his mouth full, only "Uh, ch g'd" came out.

Antonio laughed.

"I'm very happy that you like it!"

Amaia glared at him. She ignored the paella and munched on a loaf of bread.

She frowned.

"It's like he's holding us hostage," Amaia thought darkly.

Alfred only continued eating.

When the American finished the paella, a few maids cleaned up the table. They worked for Antonio, Alfred observed.

Alfred sighed, slouching in his chair. He had his hand on his stomach.

"I'm full~"

"Well, you ate everything." Amaia told him expressionlessly. Dammit. She could cook _way _better than that Spaniard!

"Yeah," Alfred replied tiredly. "But it was really good. Seriously."

Amaia crossed her arms over her chest and huffed.

"Hey," Alfred looked at her, glasses sliding off his nose. He didn't bother to fix them. "What were you doing before you ran into us?"

Alfred looked up at the sky. It was dark again.

"Honestly..."

He squinted at the ominous clouds.

"Does it ever rain here?"

Amaia raised her brow. She did that a lot.

"Sometimes. Now, back to your answer."

Alfred watched the dark sky lazily. It made him feel uneasy, so he opted to look at her instead.

"Honestly, I was just walking around. You know, I'm a stranger here. I've just met a short-tempered Englishman, a crazy Russian with a pipe, followed a blond kid and his talking polar bear, met a French cook and his energetic daughter, a Polish dude, a two-faced Spaniard and you."

Amaia's mouth formed into a thin line.

"Wow."

"Yeah." Alfred chuckled a bit before pushing away his bangs.

"I've been through a lot. Before I ended up here, I had quite some problems. The blond kid with a talking bear reminded me of my brother, you know? His name was Mattie. Matthew, actually, but I call him Mattie."

Alfred stretched.

"Oh."

And for the rest of the time until Antonio returned, not a word was spoken between the two of them.

* * *

Heracles awoke a little bit afterwards, and he then immediately stood up. A whole bunch of cats suddenly appeared out of nowhere and followed him as he walked away, staggering a bit. It was obvious that he was still a little groggy. Neither Antonio nor Amaia minded him. Alfred watched him a bit before turning back to Antonio. The Grecian wandered off into the distance going to who knows where with his army of cats.

"So, thanks for the food!"

Antonio nodded politely. It had been awhile ever since they had met, and Alfred was about to leave.

Amaia gave a small smile but kept her eyes on the pathway. Alfred turned around to leave when he heard a shout from Antonio.

"Ah, _mi pequena tomato _has arrived! It's wonderful to see you, Lovino!"

"Ah! Chigi! Get the hell off me, tomato bastard!"

"Hello, Lovi. Hello, Feliciano. Hello, Ludwig."

"Ve~ Hello, Amaia. _Fratello!_"

"Guten Tag, Amaia." There was a sigh.

"I told you to stop pulling on my curl, bastard!"

"Ah, but, Lovi, you are so cute! And you look like a cute little tomato~"

Alfred turned to them. He saw twins (they looked alike and were about the same height). One was being crushed in an embrace with Antonio and was blushing, furiously struggling to get free. Antonio was hugging him with a stupid smile on his face. The other twin was holding onto a tall, blue-eyed blonde like there was no tomorrow. Amaia was chatting with the tall blonde. There was a slight pink blush on his cheeks as the boy who was holding on to his arm started to hug him even tighter.

Alfred smiled. It was like a big family reunion. It reminded him of his life before he slipped on that puddle...

"You guys look like you're all having fun!" He said with a chuckle. The twin who was being cooed at by Antonio quickly headbutted the Spaniard and glared at Alfred. He ignored Antonio who had fallen over and pointed an accusing finger at him.

"And who the hell are you?"

Alfred struck his familiar pose; thumbs-up sign, gleaming blue eyes and wide grin.

"I'm Alfred F. Jones, the hero!"

Oh, not again...

* * *

**I seriously have to start on my project now...**

**Lovino, Feliciano and Ludwig have appeared! More of them in the next chapter.**

**I'm sorry that Heracles didn't really do much in this chapter, but he'll be back again sometime. I don't know if I'll still include his cat army, though. XD**

**Please review, favorite or alert! Anything to show that you like this, read it or a simple message telling me how I can improve.  
**

FOOTNOTES AND NOTES

Amaia Etxaurren: My Basque OC. She hates Spain and France. Mostly Spain. Amaia means "the end" while Etxaurren means "in front of house(s)"

_Mi pequena tomato: _My little tomato (Spanish)

_Fratello: _Brother (Italian)

_Guten Tag: _Good day. Can also be Good Afternoon. (German)


	5. They All Lead to Chaos

**Thank you, _nemiah_, _The__. Babble. Fish._, and _backseat compromises_ for reviewing the last time! I send you all virtual hugs and rainbows (Special Edition: NINE Colors)**

**The next chapter might be long. It might be short. I don't know. XD**

**This is actually posted earlier than I planned. It's a good thing that I wrote it before I left. Enjoy chapter five of Welcome to Wonderland!  
**

**

* * *

**Welcome to Wonderland

Chapter Five: They All Lead to Chaos

"Hero, eh? Che."

The twin with anger issues scowled at Alfred. Alfred merely grinned.

"Yeah. I'm the hero. Everyone needs a hero!"

"No way! I don't need any hero. I do fine on my own. And who the hell are you, proclaiming yourself the hero all of a sudden? Bastard," Twin with Anger Issues erupted into Italian curses. Alfred ignored him and turned to the other twin and his red-faced companion. Amaia was watching him now, and not talking to the two.

"Lovi~ Can I be your hero?"

"WHAT?"

Alfred, Blushing Blondie, Amaia and the Clingy Twin watched as Antonio tackled Twin with Anger Issues and smothered him. The angry Italian was stuck in the Spaniard's grip.

"Is this normal?"

"Yes. Very."

Blondie sighed before his face turned serious. The Clingy Twin was getting in the middle of his brother and Antonio, and Amaia wasn't really helping, either. She watched from the pathway's edge, smiling as if it were all part of some plan for world -

"EVERYBODY! SILENCE!"

The Clingy Twin drifted away from Antonio and his "_pequena tomato" _and approached Blondie. Alfred was a little surprised at the tall man's sudden yell, but he seemed to have stopped Antonio and the Italian with him.

"SHUT UP, POTATO BASTARD! You can't tell me what to do!"

Twin with Anger Issues pushed Antonio away and grabbed his brother's arm. His brother looked at him with confusion.

"That's it, Feli. I'm taking you away from that stupid potato bastard. I told you not to-" With an angry huff, he walked away, pulling his brother behind him.

"But, _fratello_-"

"DON'T INTERRUPT, DAMN IT! He's a bad guy!"

Alfred watched the two arguing. Antonio seemed a little saddened, and was quiet. Amaia watched them walk away with half-lidded eyes and a blank expression. Blondie sighed. He then cleared his throat, catching the three's attention.

"I apologize for any inconveniences caused. I suppose I should leave now and maybe-"

"No. Don't leave yet. Meet Alfred." Amaia interrupted him. She spoke as if she wanted to absolutely get straight to the point.

Alfred gave Blondie a welcoming grin. The man nodded back and bowed.

"Good afternoon. My name is Ludwig Beilschmidt."

"Oh, okay. Well, I'm Alfred F. Jones! I already said that, but you probably didn't hear over that guy's cussing," Alfred trailed away for a bit then continued. "Ooh, if you don't mind me asking, who're those guys?"

Ludwig flushed slightly. Antonio seemed to have recovered and walked towards them.

"Those were the Vargas brothers. Lovino was the one whom Antonio was smothering while Feliciano was the one who stood next to Ludwig," Amaia gave a small smile.

"So, they're not, like, twins or anything?"

"No. They're just brothers, actually."

Alfred patted his hair and laughed.

"They both have a hair curl on a particular side of their head..."

Amaia grinned.

"It's a way you can tell that they're the Vargas brothers,"

* * *

"Oh, cool! So Lovino's part of the mafia?"

Ludwig sighed. He was seated on a chair not far from Amaia and Alfred while Antonio had scurried to some other place.

He was only there because he knew that Feliciano would return with Lovino soon. And Feliciano would probably cry or panic if he couldn't find Ludwig and think he abandoned him.

"Technically, Lovino's the head of the mafia. And so, all the families are also under him,"

"Awesome! I didn't know there was a mafia here... Are there gangsters and yakuza here too?"

"...I'm not the one you should ask."

Antonio skipped, suddenly appearing, and looked around. He turned to Ludwig and frowned.

"They aren't back yet?"

"No. Not yet."

Antonio frowned. He watched Alfred and Amaia silently before smiling.

"Ah. Then maybe I'll call Francis and Gilbert to see if they're free tonight~"

Ludwig shook his head as the Spaniard walked away.

If the Bad Touch Trio were going to wreak havoc, he didn't want to be a part of it.

* * *

Alfred stretched, popping his back and groaned.

"When'll night come?"

Amaia raised her brow and shrugged.

"It will come when it will come."

Alfred ignored her and suddenly perked up. Amaia watched the road with interest.

Feliciano and Lovino were surely back. Feliciano was close to tears, speeding towards them. Lovino followed behind, panting in an attempt to catch his younger brother.

"Damnit! Get back here, Feliciano!"

"Ve~ But I miss Ludwig!"

Alfred then watched Feliciano quickly speed up and tackle Ludwig who was getting up from his chair. The Italian clung onto the blond German tightly. Ludwig flinched.

"Ludwig! You didn't leave me after all..."

Lovino, on the other hand, ran in between Amaia and Alfred and snarled at Ludwig.

"BASTARD! Get the hell away from my brother!"

Lovino started to hit Ludwig, who was unhurt by the Italian but annoyed. Ludwig pried Feliciano off him (Feliciano was panicking and telling his brother to stop hurting Ludwig) and tried to get away from Lovino. Lovino ignored both of them and continued his attack on the German, both verbally and physically.

Alfred quickly stood up and ran towards them, yelling "HEY! The hero can help!"

Amaia also followed Alfred, pulling on his jacket, trying to restrain him from going any further. He didn't notice her. Alfred continued running, Amaia holding onto his jacket. The American jumped in between the angry Lovino, Ludwig and Feliciano standing nearby, waving a white flag (where the hell that came from, he didn't know). Amaia decided to step away from the fight but slipped as Alfred crashed into Ludwig and Lovino.

There was chaos.

And that was how Antonio found them a little bit later, wandering around his grounds with a smile on his face.

"Lovi~"

"Get the hell off me, bastards!"

* * *

"You should go the castle now."

"Alright. Bye, guys!"

Alfred waved goodbye at Amaia, Lovino, Feliciano, Antonio and Ludwig. Antonio gave a smile and a small wave as he hugged Lovino. Lovino scowled and glared at Alfred. Amaia waved goodbye as well. Feliciano returned it with an enthusiastic wave and grin. Afterwards, he asked Ludwig for some pasta. Ludwig sighed and bid Alfred goodbye.

The American walked down the path slowly. When would night come, anyway? As he stared up at the sky, he suddenly bumped into someone.

"Ow! Oh, sorry."

The person he bumped into was a boy, really. He had a huge grin on his face.

"No, it's fine, da ze! You were looking up at the sky. Do you know that I invented the sky? Skies came from Korea!" The boy waved his arms wildly, causing his loose sleeves to swing to and fro.

"No - of course not!" Alfred stared at the grinning boy. Did skies come from Korea? Did this boy invent them? Surely not! Americans invented the sky... Well, no. No one invented the sky. Alfred knew that.

"Believe it, da ze! I invented everything! Everything came from Korea," the boy grinned again. He had a strange hair curl. It had a face. And that face was staring at him. Alfred stared back.

Alfred snapped out of his reverie quickly and gave an apologetic grin. The boy didn't seem to notice him spacing off.

"I'm Im Yong Soo,"

"I'm Alfred F. Jones,"

Yong Soo bowed and pointed to the pathway.

"Really! Pathways were invented in Korea. By me,"

Alfred nodded. Might as well entertain him, no?

"Where are you going, anyway? Castle? I can lead you there, da ze!"

Alfred was surprised that Yong Soo knew his destination.

"Yeah. I'm headed there,"

"Then, we can go there together, da ze! Did you know that castles were invented in Korea?"

Alfred pushed up his glasses. Yong Soo wasn't too bad. Just energetic... and happy. Alfred beamed at the Korean.

"No, I didn't know that. Do you work there?"

Yong Soo laughed. He scratched his head. "No, of course not! Well, sort of. Yao _Ge Ge_ works all around. I just follow because I'm awesome! And the rest of my family works all around too. Except for Kiku. I don't know what he does. He never needs money. But he likes to help us, I guess. Isn't my family cool, da ze?"

Alfred nodded, hands in his pockets.

"The King of Hearts, Toris, right? He's not a tyrant or anything, right?"

"A tyrant? I don't know. I never really like interacting with the royalty. Yao _Ge Ge_ has some problems with them sometimes. But I think the King's alright. It's the Queen you should worry about. Not like I'm scared or anything. I'm awesome, right, da ze?"

Alfred stopped walking and stared at Yong Soo in the eye. The Korean boy beamed again.

"Yeah, you're awesome. But I'm the hero and heroes are even more awesome." Alfred wanted to say, but he didn't. Instead, he nodded.

"Now, back to this Queen person-"

"Oh, yeah! She's really pretty, but they say she's scary. I don't know. I'm not afraid of anyone,"

"And the Queen, what's her name?"

"I heard she's that crazy Russian's sister. Yao _Ge Ge_ doesn't like him. Her name is Natalia Arlovskaya,"

"Sounds Russian." Alfred then decided that all Russians were creepy communists (commies...) and were insane.

"Belorussian, actually." Yong Soo grinned.

"Okay,"

"Well, we're here, da ze! Did you know that Koreans invented castles?"

Alfred didn't answer. He stared up at the Palace of Hearts with awe. It was huge. There was a maze of hedges not far off, and there was a fountain right before the huge castle gates. Two guards stood majestically in front of the gates. The ground was made of cobblestones, and it even seemed to have a cold, dreary aura that matched the gloomy sky even though it was named the Palace of _Hearts_.

He expected it to be girlier or something.

"This - This is it?"

"Yeah. Isn't it awesome, da ze?"

Alfred ran towards the gates.

"Absolutely awesome,"

* * *

**I think this is the longest chapter I've written for Welcome to Wonderland.**

**Lovi and Feli are Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Antonio is actually the March Hare. Amaia is the Mad Hatter. Ludwig is Feli's friend...**

**Im Yong Soo is the White Knight from _Through the Looking Glass_. And, Natalia is the Queen of Hearts!**

**I'm seriously steering away from _Alice in Wonderland_, aren't I? Ah. Whatever. Let's just wait and see what happens...**

**Please review, favorite, alert or a simple message telling me how I can improve. Just something to show that you read or like this. Thank you. :)**

FOOTNOTES AND TRANSLATIONS**  
**

_Ge Ge_: Big Brother (Chinese)


	6. Through the Castle Maze

**Thank you, _nemiah_, _Myriad Lapse _and_ ACIDlove_ for reviewing the last time! I send you all virtual hugs and rainbows and unicorns and all that magical stuff that Iggy hides in his closet.**

**There's a sort of long-ish Author's Note at the bottom.  
**

**And this kind of long (Seven pages in MS Word), or is that because I'm suddenly descriptive here? Beware the random time skips (it's Wonderland!) and random characters popping up. And I'm sorry if the beginning is a bit boring.  
**

**

* * *

**Welcome to Wonderland

Chapter Six: Through the Castle Maze

Alfred ran towards the castle excitedly. He didn't know why, but he had a sudden urge to slam the doors open and meet all the people inside.

When he arrived at the gates, Alfred stopped. He pushed at the closed doors but they didn't budge. The guards that he saw earlier had disappeared as well. Seeing that no one would let him enter (or stop him from entering, other than the closed gates themselves, that is), Alfred confidently pushed again with all his might.

Of course, that didn't work.

"What was that old password thingy? Open Sasa - Open Seesa - Open - Open Sesame!" he yelled at the doors. They remained firmly closed.

Alfred glared at them. He didn't expect them to open anyways. Although, if they did, that would be wonderful.

"Mathias!"

Alfred stepped away from the huge gates and turned around. He watched an extremely happy man run around with his arms raised above his head. He had spiky blond hair and was screaming nonsense. At least, Alfred couldn't understand him.

A boy ran after him, obviously angry. He had short blond hair and blue eyes. Another followed behind slowly, scowling. A bird-like thing was waddling beside him. Three other men came behind, walking slowly. Another was a woman who watched the happy blonde running around with a small amused smile on her face.

Yong Soo was nowhere to be found.

The running blondes disappeared around the corner, leaving the woman, the boy with the bird and three others. Alfred approached them with a smile and a friendly wave.

"They might be able to get me in," Alfred told himself.

Alfred caught the woman's attention first. She tugged at the sleeve of the one beside her, a man with spiky brown hair, and he noticed Alfred too. The tall intimidating-looking blonde to his right glanced at Alfred with disinterest, and the smaller friendly-looking one beside him tilted his head slightly.

"Hey, there! I was just wondering how to get in the castle. I'm Alfred Jones!" Alfred said quickly, a huge grin on his face. The woman smiled at him again and nodded.

"My name is Bella, and this is my brother Lars." She motioned to the spiky-haired man beside her. "I suppose we could take you inside, but you should inform Eduard first. We can show you to him,"

Lars nodded. The small and friendly-looking blonde introduced himself as well. Alfred noticed that he held a puppy in his arms.

"I'm Tino. It's nice to meet you. This is Berwald. Don't be intimidated by him. He's actually very nice," He glanced at the tall blonde beside him.

Berwald and Alfred stared at each other. Alfred laughed nervously.

"Haha... Intimidated? Heroes don't get scared! No, not me..."

"...Okay,"

Berwald was silent.

The boy in brown with a bird standing beside him frowned at Alfred.

"I'm Jökull," was all he said. He then laid a gloved hand on top of the bird's head. It stared up at Alfred, ruffling its feathers. It wore a pink bow tie. "And this is Mr. Puffin,"

"He - Hello..."

The puffin glared at Alfred before shaking Jökull's hand off.

"Hmmm... I suppose we should enter now?" Bella said nicely. Alfred nodded.

* * *

"Wow... It seems even bigger from the inside!"

Tino laughed. His puppy, Hanatamago, nuzzled his hand.

"Yes, it is. The palace really is a maze. One can easily get lost in here. Right, Berwald?"

Berwald looked at Tino before answering.

"Y's, m' w'fe."

"Ah. I told you to stop calling me that!"

Berwald didn't answer.

"I think... Eduard changed his office into another room,"

Alfred looked at the half-open door Lars was holding curiously. He peeked into the doorway and got a good look of what was inside. There was no one inside. No one and nothing but an empty desk and chair.

"I suppose so too, _Broer_. Perhaps we can look for his new office? I haven't seen him nor Raivis so there's no one to ask,"

Jökull muttered something incoherent and walked away. His puffin waddled behind him.

"Where's he goin'?"

"Trying to find Mathias and Morten. Mathias was the one who was running around drunk. Morten was the one chasing after him," Tino replied. Alfred mouthed an "Oh".

Did he know that Alfred was there the whole time?

Probably.

They wandered around the palace for a while, searching for Eduard von Bock's new office. Tino explained that Eduard could be considered Toris' 'right hand man', although they weren't really on the same level. Eduard worked under the king, but they were great friends. Raivis was like Eduard but was more timid and shy. That caused Eduard, the calm and composed one, to be the official 'right-hand man', although Raivis was one, too. They also took note of all the King's and Queen's visitors, and that was why Alfred had to go to him.

After wandering around the palace for a few more minutes, they reached the kitchen doors. They walked down the hallway, ignoring the chaos in the kitchen. Alfred stepped back for a bit to watch the goings-on in the kitchen for a while through the glass in the door and the occasional glimpse as the door swung open every now and then.

There was a woman with her hair in a ponytail arguing with Francis (when did he get there?). Francis' attention was caught by something else, though, and his face was shifted into panic. He lunged at Arthur Kirkland (what was Artie doing in there, too? Alfred wondered) who was mixing something into a bowl. The woman with long hair sighed and continued her cooking.

Alfred was about to enter, but realizing that he was a bit too far-off behind, he ignored the kitchen and bounded towards the other four, yelling "Wait for me!"

"I think this is it," Lars said, stopping at a door just as Alfred caught up with them. He put his hand on the doorknob and turned it, peeking inside.

"Eduard von Bock?"

"He - Hello?"

Alfred stopped before he bumped into a small boy who was shaking wildly. He had short curly brown hair and blue eyes. Was this Eduard von Bock? He didn't seem that great...

"Ah. Is Eduard in here, Raivis? We have a guest for the Queen and the King," Bella told the boy. The shaking boy, Raivis, nodded and motioned for them to come inside. He reentered the room, still a bit shaky, though.

"E - Eduard, someone has to see you. The Queen and King have a guest. Or guests. I - I'm not e - exactly sure,"

A young man typing on a computer nodded. He fixed his glasses and looked up at Lars, Bella, Tino, Berwald and Alfred. He had dark blond hair and green eyes.

"Are you all going to visit the King and Queen?" He eyed Tino, Berwald and Bella. "You know that you may visit without signing, right?"

Tino nodded. "Yes, but Alfred Jones wishes to visit them, too!"

Alfred grinned and gave a thumbs-up sign.

"Yup! I don't suppose they're not too busy for me?"

Eduard frowned for a bit before sighing. Raivis was in the corner behind him, sorting through some papers.

Eduard stood up and motioned for Alfred to approach. Alfred did, and Eduard gave him a pen and opened a large book on the counter beside him. He started flipping the pages quickly, eyes scanning the contents. He stopped and pushed the book nearer to Alfred, tapping a space for writing twice as he instructed Alfred.

"This is where you write your name. Here is where you write the date of your visit, which is today, I suppose. Here is where you officially sign. Signature over printed name, please."

Alfred wrote in nearly chicken scratch. Eduard glanced at it briefly before returning the book and pen back to their respective places.

"So, Eduard," Lars said nonchalantly, hands in his pockets. "Out of all the free rooms, why did you chose one so secluded inside the castle? We had to pass by a trap door to get in the hallway!"

Raivis spluttered something incoherent and paled slightly. Alfred raised a brow.

"Well, you see..." Eduard began calmly, though his hands were shaking noticeably. "Mr. Ivan Braginsky visited the King a few days ago. And, well, he decided to visit us as well, even though we have arranged that he needs not to come to us whenever he visits."

Raivis looked like he was traumatized and about to cry.

"What's wrong with the little guy?" Alfred asked insensitively. Berwald glared at him from the corner of his eye.

"Ah, well. I wasn't around at that time, so he was all alone in the office. When I returned later that day, I found Raivis hiding under a blanket behind the drawers and a chair. It actually took me quite some time to find him,"

Raivis started to tear up.

"I don't know what happened during Mr. Ivan's visit."

"Let's - Let's not talk about that anymore, shall we?" Tino said suddenly, breaking the tension. All were silent, but Alfred was oblivious to their discomfort.

"Alright."

* * *

Tino and Berwald had left, saying that they had to find Mathias, Mortin and Jökull before they got into further trouble. Lars and Bella stood beside Alfred, guiding him through the castle's mazes of corridors, hallways, rooms and trapdoors to get to the Throne Room.

The Throne room was situated in the middle of the castle, on the second floor. The room was large and had polished tiles. The ceiling was made of delicately carved designs on what looked like big square white tiles, too. (They were actually tin, Bella had told Alfred) Drapes of a deep blue color hung on the walls, while silver colored ropes wrapped around them. The drapes covered the windows, if there were any, but the room was brightly lit. A few chandeliers hung from the ceiling.

Seven steps carved out of what looked like marble divided the rest of the room from the thrones themselves. The two thrones sat side by side, looking alike. The only difference was the crown* (not to be confused with the ruler's headpiece) sticking up from the back of the thrones. The King's throne's crown was a little grander and more sophisticated, as the Queen's was sophisticated as well, but had a different design and was a little smaller.

Alfred stared. He had never been in a castle or a palace before, and by what he saw, it was obvious that they were rich. Well, royalty, right?

"Erm... where're the King and Queen?"

Lars looked around silently as a response to Alfred's question. Bella gave a small smile.

"Well, they should be around at this time. You actually have great timing. Then again..." She trailed off and walked away. Alfred followed her but Lars watched them from his spot, unmoving. Bella drew the curtains and peeked out the windows.

It was nighttime.

"Perhaps they are either busy or somewhere else. It's nighttime already. If you don't have a place to stay, you can go with us and meet them tomorrow,"

Alfred tilted his head to get a better view of the night sky. It was twinkling with stars.

"Alright,"

There was a sudden ring. It was a bell chime, but it was quick and sharp. In one ring, it reverberated around the room, echoing. Alfred was too stunned too move, and it was only when Lars spoke that he dared to.

"Looks like it's dinner time. You can join us if you like,"

Alfred nodded gratefully, taking one last peek at the darkness outside that seemed to take so long to arrive.

Finally.

* * *

**I fail at Berwald's grunt speak! And I fail at describing scenery and castles and rooms and stuff!  
**

**As you may or may not know, Mathias is Denmark, Mortin is Norway (I picked a random Norwegain name for him XD),**** Jökull is Iceland (I read that it was one of the common Iceland fannames), Bella is Belgium and Lars is the Netherlands.  
**

**And just in case anyone wants to know more about medieval castles/palaces and their rooms and functions, I recommend this website. I actually just found it earlier because I forgot what certain parts of the castle were called. XD**

**Just remove the spaces :** http: / / www. castles. me. uk/ rooms-in-a-medieval-castle. htm

**Please review, favorite, alert or leave a small message telling me how I can improve. Something that shows that you read and maybe like this? :)**

FOOTNOTES AND TRANSLATIONS

*crown: On old-fashioned and original Spanish (?) wardrobes, the crown is the design on top. It is also the design on top on modern wardrobes, if they still have that. You'll know it's original because the carver of the wardrobe carved out the crown with the rest of the designs and the wardrobe itself. That is unlike the wardrobes now, which have the crowns stuck onto them after the wardrobe is completed. At least, that's what our tour guide said. XD I didn't know what to call the top-piece-design-thing on top of the back of the chair, so I called it a crown. If anyone knows the correct term, please correct me.

_Broer_: Brother (Dutch)


	7. Broken Glass and Dinner

**Hello. I am still alive. Writer's Block has disappeared.**

**I hope you still read this, readers...  
**

**Thank you, _nemiah_ for reviewing the last time! I send you a delicious gourmet dinner. And fries. Yes. Belgian fries. :D  
**

**Try to enjoy.  
**

**

* * *

**Welcome to Wonderland

Chapter Seven: Broken Glass and Dinner

The three quickly walked out of the Throne Room and Alfred struggled to keep up with the siblings' sudden pace. His shouts of "Hey! Slow down for a sec," seemed unheard.

"Probably they're just hungry," he heard himself mutter bitterly.

Adjusting his glasses one more time, Alfred ran down the corridor, the backs of the two siblings still visible but growing smaller.

Bella and Lars entered a room with wide doors. Bella entered first, and Lars watched Alfred enter. The American gaped at the room.

"We're eating here?"

"...No. We're just passing by,"

"Oh... well... In that case-"

"No, of course we're here to eat," Lars snapped. Alfred winced. He swore he saw Bella smirk.

What the hell was wrong with everyone at night?

Mumbling something about cranky, hungry and sleepy killjoys, Alfred shuffled awkwardly behind Bella. She smiled and waved at Tino and Berwald who were at the other end of the long dining table. Alfred stared at the many plates and glasses set for many people. The hall itself was huge.

Were they really eating with that many people?

"Ah. Hello, Bella," Tino greeted the Belgian girl with a smile. Berwald nodded his head silently. Alfred took a small step away.

There was an uncomfortable silence in the room.

"Ah... so, what now?" Alfred asked in a small voice. Lars looked at him blankly.

"We wait."

"Wait?"

There was that familiar bell chime again. This time, it was louder and there was no awkward silence afterward. All the other people in the room (there were more now, Alfred noticed) stared at the two doors on the far end of the dining hall. There was an angry swear and then the doors swung open, people marching out.

Alfred watched them carry the plates and dishes while marching in unison like soldiers. He saw the woman with her long black ponytail, Arthur, Francis, Chelle smiling cheekily and a whole bunch of other people who seemed to be of different races.

All the dishes were carefully placed on the table. Alfred grinned leaned forward, eyeing the food excitedly.

"Woah! They all look so good. Except those. What are they? I haven't seen some of these things in a long time, and some of them don't even look that edible!"

There was a sudden awkward silence as all eyes were focused on the young man. Alfred continued to grin, though he was aware of all the stares. The American stared back at them all. He slowly raised a hand and gave a thumbs up sign.

The Queen looked like she was ready to murder Alfred. He gave a charming smile and ignored her angry expression.

"Pleased to meet you, Your Majesty," he said, wracking his brain for something polite to say. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be, well, you know, um -"

Bella pulled at Alfred's collar roughly and he fell onto a chair. The woman narrowed her eyes at him. He gave a sorry smile.

"Just shut up and sit down already. Understand?" she said in a low voice. "You don't have to go around looking like a complete idiot."

The King, Toris, turned his head over his shoulder and let out a small cough. The Queen gave him another cold glare before she seated herself.

"Sorry. I'll stop now."

"... Yes-"

There was a loud crash and all the guests seated at the long table turned to the windows. One was smashed, glass shards raining down onto the carpeted floor. The curtains billowed as a strong breeze entered the room. There was a silence.

Berwald grimaced and removed a ragged piece of glass from his meal. It had missed him narrowly.

"..."

"Woah, hey, sorry!"

A voice was heard from outside. Alfred sat up in his chair and strained his eyes to see who spoke. His jaw dropped when he saw a sword embedded on the wall nearby.

"Who was that?"

There were some murmurs. A few of the guests approached the broken window cautiously and peeked outside. Alfred followed them.

The American furrowed his brows. His nose wrinkled and his glasses almost slipped off. There were two figures down on the courtyard below. One was standing with a grin on his face and waving at the ones looking down onto him. He had white hair. It shone brightly. The other figure stood behind him in an angry stance.

"Hey, I hope I didn't kill anyone. I know I didn't, because I'm awesome and I know where I aimed my sword. So, can anyone get it for the awesome me?"

There was a chirp. Alfred squinted. He saw a yellow ball atop the white-haired man's head.

The other figure behind him strode forward. It was a woman. She got out a frying pan from God-knows-where and banged it against the white-haired man's head. There was a loud noise and the man almost fell to the ground.

"You idiot!"

Alfred laughed at the scene. Everyone turned their heads to him, some shooting pointed glares. Alfred stopped laughing and cringed.

_Crap._

The glares that were directed at Alfred had such intensity that the American couldn't help but recoil unintentionally. Luckily, their stares were directed outside the window again. There were noises and angry yells.

"You could have killed someone, you know?"

Another sharp smack.

"Well, you'll kill me if you continue that!"

Another hit.

"I'll be doing the world a big favor, then!"

The two continued to exchange words. The whole dining area was silent. The King finally decided to step over and try to break the fight.

"Uh, please stop! Both of you! You mustn't continue! We are very glad that no one was hurt, so can you please both stop it? We can still eat. There is no -"

The man stopped mid-sentence as he saw the Queen approach. She stood beside him silently, staring down at the two figures out in the garden. The white-haired man was failing at defending himself from the brunette woman assaulting him with a frying pan. All the people in the dining area watched the Queen noiselessly, waiting for her response.

The young woman merely frowned and spun around swiftly. Her long hair moved as she approached her seat, her shoes clicking against the floor.

"We shall resume the dinner." She said simply. The King nodded and he walked over, nodding at everyone.

Alfred found himself following suit. They had their meal while surrounded by lavish decorations, broken glass and the sounds of the two people in the garden arguing.

* * *

Alfred quickly fell onto the bed, heaving a great sigh.

Lars stared at him with his arms over his chest. The American rolled his eyes and grinned at the Dutchman.

"Thank you for that awesome dinner," he said, one leg on the mattress and the other hanging off the bed. "And you don't have to worry. I don't think anyone was disturbed by me."

Alfred was about to speak about "gracing them with his uniqueness" when Lars interrupted him. The Dutchman shoved his hands into his pockets and eyed Alfred.

"Just keep out of trouble, all right? You'll sleep here. Get up in the morning and we'll be out in the hallway." The young man frowned. "Don't cause anymore trouble." He repeated.

Lars stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him. Alfred watched the door close. Eventually, the only light was that of the kerosene lamp beside the bed.

The American groaned and removed his glasses, rubbing his eyes. He kicked off his boots after untying the laces lazily and buried his face in the pillow. He took in a deep breath and sat up, moving to the bedside table.

The flame died quickly and Alfred immediately resumed his position on the bed.

_I want to talk to that guy tomorrow..._

His thoughts mellowed down and his mind blacked out slowly as sleep overtook him.

* * *

**Yes, it has been a while. The writing style changed a lot in this chapter, didn't it? Sort of. This chapter was written in two sittings. The first was last year (2010). The second is today - 2011.  
**

**I am sorry. I don't know what else to say. NaNo and JanNo flew by, and I also had HUGE bouts of Writer's Block. At least my rhythm is sort of back now. I'll be updating my other fics soon. And I'll probably write this again tomorrow.**

**Huge catching up is needed for this fic.**

**Please review.  
**


	8. Onesided Love, Twosided Insanity

**Thank you, _HeartlessLittleHamster and nemiah_ for reviewing the last chapter! I send you guys virtual muffins. **

**It's been so long, I think. I can't keep track anymore.**

**I hope this chapter is up to par with your standards, dear readers.**

* * *

Welcome to Wonderland

Chapter Eight: One-sided Love, Two-sided Insanity

Alfred Jones' eyes opened wide. He squinted his eyes, the room a blurry mess.

"O - Ow..."

The American rolled to his side and rubbed his sore back, stretching his arms out in front of him. He stood up slowly and realized that he had fallen out of bed. His hands groped the side table, searching for his glasses.

He finally found them and carefully put them on. Blinking a few times, he stood still.

Alfred turned around and headed towards the door as his stomach grumbled.

"Breakfast..."

He tilted his head to the side and remembered Lars' instructions for his waking in the morning. They were outside, right? He totally wanted some breakfast. He was starving!

Alfred quickly exited the room, already forgetting his dream of a bleary rainy day.

* * *

"Hey, I wonder where Lars and Bella are."

The American pushed his glasses up his nose and stared into the empty hallway. After searching it for a few more minutes, he decided to go off and explore the place himself.

A hero was adventurous, after all.

He walked down the narrow corridor whistling a merry tune, his hands safely tucked into his pockets. As he got deeper into the castle, he realized that he could have been lost.

"Where was that kitchen again? I could've sworn it was around here..."

He turned around and walked in a different direction. He seemed to be walking into a circle. Alfred frowned and tried another hallway.

There was a light and he ran forward. He slammed into the door of his room, recognizing the plaque that hung from above the door.

Alfred rubbed his nose and fixed his glasses, muttering a curse.

"You got lost?"

He spun around and saw Bella standing behind him, her arms crossed over her chest. She was smiling, amused. He nodded, and she replied with a giggle.

"Well, come with me then~"

She grabbed his arm and dragged him away. Alfred thought that he had followed that exact same path, but why did he end up at his room while Bella entered the dining hall?

He swept the question away as the sweet aroma of breakfast greeted him. Oh well. Even heroes made wrong turns.

* * *

After eating so much that he thought he would burst, Alfred looked around for Bella. The young woman was gone, and in her place was a sleeping guy. His coat was hanging off his shoulders and his beret partially covered his face. A cat rubbed up against his leg.

Alfred wandered out into the gardens.

"It's my turn!"

"No, it's my turn!"

"You've already exceeded your -"

"..."

"...Ugh, Gilbert!"

Alfred sauntered into a croquet field curiously. He watched the same albino man and brunette woman arguing from last night. The albino man quickly hit the ball and it sailed through a few rings. The woman was not amused.

"Yes!" The man said with a huge grin, pumping his fist into the air. "Looks like I win, Lizzy."

"Cheater!"

The woman, Lizzy, put her hands on her waist. She growled and glared at him so hard Alfred twitched. "You already tried. It's my turn, _Gilbo_."

The albino, _Gilbo, _looked away and snickered. _These people sure have weird names_, though Alfred.

The two almost broke out into another fight but the albino spotted Alfred. He waved at him and called him over, prompting the American to approach them.

"Hey, there, kid. You're the new guy, right? Francis told me about you," he said. A little ball of yellow - fur? - peeked out from his collar. Alfred glanced at it quickly.

"Yeah," he nodded and held out a hand. "I'm Alfred!"

"Good morning, Alfred," Lizzy interrupted. "I'm Elizaveta. You don't have to suffer through hearing Gilbert here proclaim his 'awesomeness'. He's really just pompous."

The albino, Gilbert, (Alfred was glad Gilbo wasn't his name. It wasn't cool at all!) pouted as Alfred shook hands with Elizabeth.

"But I _am_ awesome!"

Elizaveta only shook her head.

Alfred laughed. The three of them exchanged some pleasant conversation before Gilbert gritted his teeth and swung his croquet mallet like a billy club, glaring at some person across the garden.

"Hey, you stupid bastard, what're you doing here?"

Alfred and Elizaveta turned around, surprised. A smiling Ivan stood in the middle of the garden.

"Ah, but I just want to greet my friends!" Ivan smiled, stepping closer. Gilbert gritted his teeth more forcefully and stomped forward, still wielding his croquet mallet.

"Didn't I tell you never to come here?"

Ivan giggled. Alfred squinted but he was pushed away by Gilbert. He and Ivan were closer to each other now, but one was smiling while the other had an angry expression. Ivan towered over Gilbert, but the shorter man showed no fear.

Alfred slowly stepped towards Elizaveta. She stared at Ivan, her head bowed slightly and her eyebrows knitted together.

"Hey," Alfred whispered. Lizzy turned her head towards him. "What's up with them? I mean Ivan's creepy as hell, but why does Gilbert hate him so much?"

Lizzy didn't respond immediately. She eyed the two, making sure that they hadn't killed each other yet, before responding.

"They got into a big fight before. Gilbert's little brother Ludwig and Ivan weren't on good terms, but Gil was the worst of them. They fought like crazy, but Ivan was too powerful,"

Gilbert slammed the croquet mallet onto the ground. Ivan leaped to the side, his coattails and scarf flying. He smiled again, cocking his head to the side.

"Gilbert still hasn't forgiven me? I thought we were all friends, yes?"

"I'm no friend of you!"

Ivan grinned even wider as Gilbert swung the mallet. The Russian caught the makeshift weapon and dragged Gilbert closer. The albino gritted his teeth, but fear was evident on his face.

Ivan's expression grew dark.

"I don't want to hurt little Gilbert. Gilbert is too fragile,"

He released the albino and waved. Gilbert's legs wobbled but he managed to steady himself. The mallet dropped to the ground.

Ivan smiled and stepped away, turning to them.

"I have to leave now. We can play again, yes?" He looked up at the sky and then moved his gaze towards Alfred. The American shuddered. "Oh, and Alfred, we can be friends,_ da_? I would love it if we -"

"BROTHER! You visited!"

Alfred, Gilbert and Elizaveta turned towards the interrupter. It was the Queen, Natalia. She had a wide smile on her face. Her emotionless facade was gone, and her joy seemed almost psychotic.

The American glanced at Ivan. He saw pure fear etched on the Russian's face.

"You visited! Oh, thank you, Brother! We can get married married married soon~"

Ivan screamed as Natalia tackled him into a hug. He looked panicked as he stared at the eyes of his sister.

"Uh, Little Sister will let Ivan return, yes? Big Brother is busy."

"But - but you rarely visit! I already bought my wedding dress! We can practice our vows now."

Ivan smiled, sweat pouring down his forehead. "Ah - I have business to attend to..."

Natalia buried her face in his scarf.

"And - what about little Liet. You won't leave him,_ da_?"

Natalia stared up at her brother and narrowed her eyes. She tightened her grip. "Liet can marry someone else. I want to be your queen, brother. I want to be your wife!"

Ivan looked horrified now. For each second that the siblings were in contact, his eyes got wider and wider. He finally lost it and shook his sister away from him, unclasping her arms from his neck quickly and running away without turning back. Natalia looked hurt for a split-second, but she opted to run after him instead.

"Brother!"

"L - Leave me alone!"

"BUT I LOVE YOU!"

Alfred was speechless. Elizaveta shook her head and approached Gilbert. The man was laughing crazily. Alfred turned towards them.

"Crazy Russian guy and ice queen Queen are brother and sister? And the Queen wants to _marry_ him?"

Gilbert nodded, slapping his thigh. He finally stopped laughing and grinned.

"...Is the King crazy, too?"

Elizaveta smiled and shook her head. "He's a bit saner. But Ivan has an iron grip on him. _He_ might as well be king."

Alfred stared at them blankly.

"What?" Gilbert asked. He approached him and slung an arm over his shoulder. "It's nice to see that creep being scared by her. Although the Queen's scary, she doesn't really bother with people. The King's more sociable. She only comes out when she really has to,"

Alfred laughed nervously.

"Then I'm glad this land isn't supported by crazies."

* * *

**It's been a while. I haven't abandoned this, don't worry.**

**Another thanks to you guys who keep on reviewing!**

**Notes:**

**Gilbert (Prussia) is supposed to be the Gryphon. Elizaveta (Hungary) is the Mock Turtle. Except they aren't fitted to their personalities. They're just taking the role. Think of it as Shakugan no Shana. Shana takes over Hikari (that's the girl's name, right?) but isn't like her at all.**

**Alfred's dream holds significance to this story. Now I know what I want to do with it. Ivan will return, and so will Arthur and everyone else. Amaia isn't a major character. She's just a side-character, though. Not like any of you are fans of her, right?**

**Yeah.**

**Please send me a review on how to improve or what you think about it. Favorites and alerts are also greatly appreciated. It shows that you people still actually read and enjoy this. XD**


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